Among the psychedelics being investigated for their therapeutic potential, ayahuasca and DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine) are among the most controversial. Both are strong psychedelics, closely related at the chemical level. Both can create intense hallucinations, out-of-body journeys, even reported trips to the afterlife. Many believe such experiences can help open the mind to psychological healing; others worry that both the physical and mental dangers make them too tricky to work with.
So in this article, we'll be looking at ayahuasca vs DMT: What are the similarities and differences in the personal experience, and whether there's any scientific evidence for them as psychological aids.
Ayahuasca is a brewed tea which has been used in spiritual ceremonies for centuries by native tribes in Central and South America. It's made primarily from two ingredients: leaves from the shrub Psychotria viridis along with stems from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine. These are boiled together and decocted (reduced) for hours to create a thick, foul-tasting brew with intense psychedelic properties.
P. viridis contains chemical compounds which convert into DMT within the body. However, DMT typically delivers a very brief experience because the body breaks it down quickly. This is why the B. caapi vine is added.
B. caapi contains compounds which convert into monoamine oxidase inhibitors within the body - ie, MAOIs, which are also used in many anti-depression medications. In this case, the MAOIs also slow down the body's processing of DMT, allowing the ayahuasca experience to go on for several hours.
Ayahuasca is almost exclusively consumed as part of an extended ceremony, typically conducted and overseen by either a native shaman or someone trained by shamans. It is not a street drug, and is not taken casually. Nor should it be. Ayahuasca is potentially dangerous and you must have sober minders around in case something goes wrong.
Ayahuasca takes around 30-45 minutes to kick in. Typically, initial effects involve geometric and color-based hallucinations, similar to other psychedelics like LSD. This is accompanied by purging. The body tends to react violently against the ayahuasca, leading to vomiting, gastrointestinal distress, crying, or screaming. This is seen as a vital part of the experience.
During this process, heart rate and blood pressure become elevated. Ayahuasca may be dangerous to people with cardiovascular issues.
Once the purging is over, the true trip begins. Experiences vary wildly depending on the person, and every batch of ayahuasca is different as well. The trip is universally described as intense, often compared to being a waking dream. This anecdotal report is actually backed up by studies looking at the brain patterns of users of ayahuasca and DMT. It truly does resemble dreaming.
Users may spend their time speaking with dead friends or family, communing with spirits or other unearthly entities, or even going on journeys through spiritual realms. The trip might be pleasant, or it might be terrifying. Using ayahuasca requires surrendering oneself to the experience, and accepting whatever happens - along with guidance from the person conducting the ceremony.
DMT is relatively simple, compared to ayahuasca. The drug is typically created in laboratories, and is not mixed with other chemicals. It is almost always inhaled so that it can directly enter the bloodstream. For scientific studies, it's often delivered intravenously for faster action. Either way, as mentioned above, the body breaks down DMT quickly.
The result is a short-lived trip that starts within a couple minutes of inhalation, and will only last 20-30 minutes.
Like ayahuasca, reports of spirit conversations and out-of-body experiences are common, along with typical psychedelic visions. Unlike ayahuasca, there is rarely any purging effect unless extremely large doses are taken.
DMT can be taken casually, and generally speaking, a person will be back to normal within an hour of consumption. Long-lasting effects or flashbacks are extremely rare. In addition, it's possible to microdose DMT, which cannot be done with ayahuasca. Microdosing tends to create more-intense sensory perception, but without overt hallucinations.
Both DMT and ayahuasca can bring about ego death, and a sense of connection with the universe. While the chances of accidentally hurting oneself on DMT are lower than ayahuasca, we do still recommend taking it with a minder, just in case.
Research on either drug is somewhat limited, with studies on ayahuasca often folded into DMT research. Further complicating matters is that there's no good way to do a randomized, placebo-controlled, or double-blind study into ayahuasca. So, research into it is typically more sociological in nature, reporting on the experiences and outcomes among users at ayahuasca retreats.
Possibly the most interesting research into ayahuasca was published in Nature in 2020, looking at users from a retreat. Of them, roughly half showed signs of psychological conditions. Six months later, 80% showed persistent improvements in their condition. It seemingly had the best results on treating depression. Another study, published in 2016 in Frontiers In Pharmacology suggested that ayahuasca's physical effects may include reduced inflammation in various centers within the brain.
DMT, on the other hand, is easier to study in a clinical setting. Notably, a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled 2023 study in Translational Psychiatry found that DMT was a "promising tool" for controlled use of psychedelic experiences in therapy. Most other research, such as this 2018 Frontiers paper, tends to focus on how much we don't know about DMT's effects on the brain and point towards future avenues of investigation.
In short, both drugs have similar effects, and have a lot of promising potential as therapeutic aids. However, there's a lot that we don't know about them and their effect on the brain. Further, because individual experiences and trips can vary greatly, it's difficult to predict exactly how ayahuasca and DMT will affect any particular user.
Be aware, both DMT and ayahuasca are typically illegal, although ayahuasca is sometimes permitted as part of religious ceremonies. If you're considering either drug, please do your research into both its legal status in your area, as well as potential effects on yourself.